^No way someone who is 33-34 years old who has been involved in so many big hits like Pacman Jones isn't going to suffer from this. 

 

If he made the NFL minimum and lived frugally (which by all accounts he did), he has at least $1 million in the bank right now.  If he invests that conservatively he'll have about $10 million by the time he retires from whatever he does next.

 

Then he'll have a very nice inheritance for his children, which you will want to tax!

 

Nope.  He wouldn't likely have an estate worth greater than $5 Million.

^And I have no idea why Tom Brady and others who have tons of money and nothing left to prove are still out there.  Luckily, most guys get injured and can't play at the NFL level for more than five years, or else the problems would be that much more severe.  In the future we might see the NFL limit careers to 5 years or even less.

 

 

OR

 

 

 

 

If he made the NFL minimum and lived frugally (which by all accounts he did), he has at least $1 million in the bank right now.  If he invests that conservatively he'll have about $10 million by the time he retires from whatever he does next.

 

Then he'll have a very nice inheritance for his children, which you will want to tax!

 

 

Oh don't worry it'll be devoured by medical bills well before that. 

 

The LA tv news media was gushing over the "capacity crowd" for the Chargers vs. Seahawks game last weekend. Whether they have been instructed to mislead their viewers or if they're simply ignorant is up for debate. Because the fact is there were an estimated 6,000 empty seats. Which is a pretty remarkable feat considering it's a stadium that taps out at a mere 27,000.

 

That the Seahawks fans were much louder than those die hard LA Charger fans only adds insult to injury.

 

Clueless owner Dean Spanos was said to be crestfallen, glum, dejected, downcast, etc. etc. about the attendance. Well you better get used to it. Welcome to LA, Dean!!! 

 

 

 

Lol...I have no sympathy for Spanos.

If LA was to get a team, it should have been the Raiders. People got used to not having a team here, and now we have two that no one really cares about. I do think a lot of the OC fan base of the Chargers will come up to games, but I think most San Diegans would feel too betrayed than to make the ~2 hour drive up for games. Watching Rams games last year was painful, and I expect the Chargers games will be similarly bad. Maybe the new stadium will help grab the city's attention and get people out to games.

Congratulations to Willoughby South and Toledo alum Kareem Hunt.  After fumbling his first carry, he put up 248 yards from scrimmage--a NFL debut record.

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/kansas-city-chiefs/post/_/id/22237/chiefs-rookie-kareem-hunt-announces-himself-with-big-nfl-debut

Congratulations to Willoughby South and Toledo alum Kareem Hunt.  After fumbling his first carry, he put up 248 yards from scrimmage--a NFL debut record.

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/kansas-city-chiefs/post/_/id/22237/chiefs-rookie-kareem-hunt-announces-himself-with-big-nfl-debut

 

I love under the radar MAC players. I kind of wish people would pay more attention to the conference. The Big 10 certainly casts a big shadow.

Congratulations to Willoughby South and Toledo alum Kareem Hunt.  After fumbling his first carry, he put up 248 yards from scrimmage--a NFL debut record.

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/kansas-city-chiefs/post/_/id/22237/chiefs-rookie-kareem-hunt-announces-himself-with-big-nfl-debut

Not surprised, been watching him for years. Andy Reid has drafted a lot of Bearcats when he was at Philly and snagged Kelce (Cleveland HTS UC) in the draft.

Terrible attendance for the Rams and Chargers in LA:

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/chargers-first-l-game-draws-loud-crowd-rooting-dolphins-204532150.html

People are also skipping out on the Bengals. They made a huge marketing push to try to get big crowds at the two opening games (last Sunday and Thursday), but only got 55k for the opener, and 52k for Thursday. Expect those numbers to decline as the season goes on. PBS has a capacity of about 65k.

Hey, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this news release concerning the Bengals...  :|

 

http://www.wcpo.com/sports/football/bengals/report-bengals-players-want-colin-kaepernick

He's better than Dalton.  I'll take him.

Terrible attendance for the Rams and Chargers in LA:

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/chargers-first-l-game-draws-loud-crowd-rooting-dolphins-204532150.html

 

Nobody predicted this could happen.

 

Oh wait, everyone predicted this. Kudos for LA football college football fans who are wisely supporting teams that have not ever, nor will not ever move away.

People were surfing instead.

Yeah it's not like the NFL has 50 years of data showing NFL teams not being that successful in LA or anything...

Yeah it's not like the NFL has 50 years of data showing NFL teams not being that successful in LA or anything...

 

Between the choices of Rams, Chargers and Raiders within Los Angeles the Chargers come in FOURTH, behind "Other." 

 

Let that set in for a minute. 

There's more money in having dirt bike races in the stadiums there.

zoicks that shocking, totally unexpected los angeles news is just pathetic -- you have to wonder how long can they keep this up before san antonio and portland get a team.

oh wait maybe the rams will head to san diego.

Looks like there are going to be a ton of empty seats tonight for the 49ers-Rams game:

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/49ers-Rams-tickets-cheapest-levis-stadium-history-12215863.php

 

 

All of the major sports including NASCAR really need to be careful except maybe international soccer. The sheer number of hipsters and nerds in the world today means that there is now that critical mass of people that just don't care. It's a big difference as compared to even five years ago. We don't notice it as much in Ohio since sports are still important here and the Cavs and the Indians have been doing well lately.

Looks like there are going to be a ton of empty seats tonight for the 49ers-Rams game:

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/49ers-Rams-tickets-cheapest-levis-stadium-history-12215863.php

 

 

 

I'm sure for those owners the new stadium can't come fast enough.  Still I give it 5 years before the Chargers are back in the whale's vajayjay. 

Looks like there are going to be a ton of empty seats tonight for the 49ers-Rams game:

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/49ers-Rams-tickets-cheapest-levis-stadium-history-12215863.php

 

 

 

I'm sure for those owners the new stadium can't come fast enough.  Still I give it 5 years before the Chargers are back in the whale's vajayjay.

Game last night was in Levi Stadium, that is a newer one. Chalk part of it up 49's being 2-14 last season, now 0-3.

It's crazy to me how the NFL has seemingly lost so much popularity in just a few years. Stadiums across the country are having trouble attracting fans, and this is in nice weather! People are turned off by all the off-field behavioral issues, absurd ticket prices, removal of franchises from long time markets, and the growing concern about head injuries and player health.

 

In LA, literally no one cares about the Chargers or wants them here. San Diegans aren't going to drive up for games to support an owner who betrayed them, and there has been very little effort to get the local population excited about the team. They play in a 30k capacity soccer stadium out in Carson, and I heard parking was $100 at last week's game against the Dolphins. The Rams seem to be growing a bit of a following, but I think their popularity will be dictated by success for a while. The only team that would be an instant hit here would be the Raiders. There are still tons of Raiders fans in LA, particularly in South and East parts of the city. Maybe we can ship the Chargers out to Vegas and then move the Raiders down from Oakland.

It's crazy to me how the NFL has seemingly lost so much popularity in just a few years. Stadiums across the country are having trouble attracting fans, and this is in nice weather! People are turned off by all the off-field behavioral issues, absurd ticket prices, removal of franchises from long time markets, and the growing concern about head injuries and player health.

 

In LA, literally no one cares about the Chargers or wants them here. San Diegans aren't going to drive up for games to support an owner who betrayed them, and there has been very little effort to get the local population excited about the team. They play in a 30k capacity soccer stadium out in Carson, and I heard parking was $100 at last week's game against the Dolphins. The Rams seem to be growing a bit of a following, but I think their popularity will be dictated by success for a while. The only team that would be an instant hit here would be the Raiders. There are still tons of Raiders fans in LA, particularly in South and East parts of the city. Maybe we can ship the Chargers out to Vegas and then move the Raiders down from Oakland.

Could see the Raiders still having a following there. It will be interesting to see what happens when both teams are playing in the new Stadium, ticket costs, attendance, etc. Is there a lot of tailgating space around the Coliseum?

They only had 30,000~ show up last night:

http://dailycaller.com/2017/09/22/its-shocking-how-empty-the-stadium-was-for-thursday-night-football/

 

If something happened in Cincinnati for a Monday, Thursday, or primetime Sunday game, we'd never hear the end of it. 

 

The 49ers stadium location looks like it was a terrible and possibly fatal compromise.  I haven't lived in that area of the country but the Oakland Coliseum seems like it's in a much better location...it survives as the last of the multipurpose stadiums.  It's accessible by BART, which Levi's quite obviously is not. 

It's crazy to me how the NFL has seemingly lost so much popularity in just a few years. Stadiums across the country are having trouble attracting fans, and this is in nice weather! People are turned off by all the off-field behavioral issues, absurd ticket prices, removal of franchises from long time markets, and the growing concern about head injuries and player health.

 

In LA, literally no one cares about the Chargers or wants them here. San Diegans aren't going to drive up for games to support an owner who betrayed them, and there has been very little effort to get the local population excited about the team. They play in a 30k capacity soccer stadium out in Carson, and I heard parking was $100 at last week's game against the Dolphins. The Rams seem to be growing a bit of a following, but I think their popularity will be dictated by success for a while. The only team that would be an instant hit here would be the Raiders. There are still tons of Raiders fans in LA, particularly in South and East parts of the city. Maybe we can ship the Chargers out to Vegas and then move the Raiders down from Oakland.

Could see the Raiders still having a following there. It will be interesting to see what happens when both teams are playing in the new Stadium, ticket costs, attendance, etc. Is there a lot of tailgating space around the Coliseum?

 

There is a good amount of tailgating space around the Coliseum, though I think the main parking lot right outside the stadium is going away for the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (http://lucasmuseum.org/). USC tailgates mostly occur on campus, with some overflow into Exposition Park. I haven't been to a Rams game yet, so I don't know how the tailgate situation is.

The only team that would be an instant hit here would be the Raiders. There are still tons of Raiders fans in LA, particularly in South and East parts of the city. Maybe we can ship the Chargers out to Vegas and then move the Raiders down from Oakland.

 

Kroenke would never allow the Raiders back in LA. 

It's crazy to me how the NFL has seemingly lost so much popularity in just a few years. Stadiums across the country are having trouble attracting fans, and this is in nice weather! People are turned off by all the off-field behavioral issues, absurd ticket prices, removal of franchises from long time markets, and the growing concern about head injuries and player health.

 

In LA, literally no one cares about the Chargers or wants them here. San Diegans aren't going to drive up for games to support an owner who betrayed them, and there has been very little effort to get the local population excited about the team. They play in a 30k capacity soccer stadium out in Carson, and I heard parking was $100 at last week's game against the Dolphins. The Rams seem to be growing a bit of a following, but I think their popularity will be dictated by success for a while. The only team that would be an instant hit here would be the Raiders. There are still tons of Raiders fans in LA, particularly in South and East parts of the city. Maybe we can ship the Chargers out to Vegas and then move the Raiders down from Oakland.

Could see the Raiders still having a following there. It will be interesting to see what happens when both teams are playing in the new Stadium, ticket costs, attendance, etc. Is there a lot of tailgating space around the Coliseum?

 

There is a good amount of tailgating space around the Coliseum, though I think the main parking lot right outside the stadium is going away for the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (http://lucasmuseum.org/). USC tailgates mostly occur on campus, with some overflow into Exposition Park. I haven't been to a Rams game yet, so I don't know how the tailgate situation is.

 

The Bengals have one of the best old-school tailgating setups in the NFL.  It's centered in what is probably the most old-style industrial area of the city.  Lots of bridges, a freight train passing overhead every 20 minutes, a 1,000+ foot long brick warehouse, and abandoned railroad tracks.

It's crazy to me how the NFL has seemingly lost so much popularity in just a few years. Stadiums across the country are having trouble attracting fans, and this is in nice weather! People are turned off by all the off-field behavioral issues, absurd ticket prices, removal of franchises from long time markets, and the growing concern about head injuries and player health.

 

You say it's crazy and then cite several legitimate reasons lol.

 

It's expensive to attend games.  It's much easier to sit in front of your 4K television with cheap beer, an open bathroom, and more comfortable seating.  It's easier to follow along your fantasy football lineup - the RedZone channel will show you every scoring play if you want.  It's just the comfort of home > the money and discomfort of being at the stadium.

The NFL is a television program. People in the stadiums are a bonus that kind of help the atmosphere, like the live studio audience on sitcoms or game shows. Are ratings actually down? I know Trump said they were but he's not the most reliable source and I haven't fact-checked him.

^ CBS has stated that ratings for week 3 were 4% higher then week 3 last year. 

It's crazy to me how the NFL has seemingly lost so much popularity in just a few years. Stadiums across the country are having trouble attracting fans, and this is in nice weather! People are turned off by all the off-field behavioral issues, absurd ticket prices, removal of franchises from long time markets, and the growing concern about head injuries and player health.

 

You say it's crazy and then cite several legitimate reasons lol.

 

It's expensive to attend games.  It's much easier to sit in front of your 4K television with cheap beer, an open bathroom, and more comfortable seating.  It's easier to follow along your fantasy football lineup - the RedZone channel will show you every scoring play if you want.  It's just the comfort of home > the money and discomfort of being at the stadium.

 

 

People have been saying this for 25+ years.  When I was a kid I remember my dad saying it was harder to follow the games when you were actually at the games. 

 

The NFL is a television program. People in the stadiums are a bonus that kind of help the atmosphere, like the live studio audience on sitcoms or game shows. Are ratings actually down? I know Trump said they were but he's not the most reliable source and I haven't fact-checked him.

He was one of the key people in a rival league that sued the NFL,  and he hasn't been able to buy a team since (likely because of his casino ties).  He's also known for holding lifelong grudges.  So naw, there's no way he tried to stir a pot that the NFLPA and NFL had largely calmed.

 

If Jim Harbaugh said Ohio State fans should never do the "O-H-I-O" stance, the results would be predictable and he'd know it.  Same thing here.

If I remember correctly, the USFL played in spring/summer.  Trump in his infinite wisdom thought they should compete head to head in the fall/winter with the NFL.  He thought it would force a merger of the leagues but it instead, bankrupted the USFL.  Rick Wilson's adage is "everything Trump touches dies."  Add the USFL to that list.

It's crazy to me how the NFL has seemingly lost so much popularity in just a few years. Stadiums across the country are having trouble attracting fans, and this is in nice weather! People are turned off by all the off-field behavioral issues, absurd ticket prices, removal of franchises from long time markets, and the growing concern about head injuries and player health.

 

You say it's crazy and then cite several legitimate reasons lol.

 

It's expensive to attend games.  It's much easier to sit in front of your 4K television with cheap beer, an open bathroom, and more comfortable seating.  It's easier to follow along your fantasy football lineup - the RedZone channel will show you every scoring play if you want.  It's just the comfort of home > the money and discomfort of being at the stadium.

 

It's crazy because all of those issues have been around forever. We always knew football was unsafe. Players always got in trouble (and then let off) for making stupid decisions. Parking, concessions, and game tickets have always been expensive.

 

Besides attendance, though, the real shocker is that the NFL doesn't seem to be as popular was it was just 5 years ago, period. Overall, it seems like less people are talking about the league, tv ratings are down, ESPN is way down these days. I think Americans have kind of fallen out of love with the NFL lately. College doesn't seem to be experiencing the same declines.

If ratings are down over 5 yrs it's most likely just due to the same thing killing all mass media and fragmenting our culture - the existence of far more options than ever before.

If I remember correctly, the USFL played in spring/summer.  Trump in his infinite wisdom thought they should compete head to head in the fall/winter with the NFL.  He thought it would force a merger of the leagues but it instead, bankrupted the USFL.  Rick Wilson's adage is "everything Trump touches dies."  Add the USFL to that list.

 

Trump's early/mid-80s image of this young (at the time), maverick (and in some eyes, not mine) cool buyer of USFL's New Jersey Generals, which had recently signing marquis RB Herschel Walker, was what rocketed into the public consciousness... Boy, if I could hop in a time machine and go back in time ...

The NFL is a television program. People in the stadiums are a bonus that kind of help the atmosphere, like the live studio audience on sitcoms or game shows. Are ratings actually down? I know Trump said they were but he's not the most reliable source and I haven't fact-checked him.

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20814945/preliminary-tv-ratings-sunday-nfl-games-compared-last-year

If I remember correctly, the USFL played in spring/summer.  Trump in his infinite wisdom thought they should compete head to head in the fall/winter with the NFL.  He thought it would force a merger of the leagues but it instead, bankrupted the USFL.  Rick Wilson's adage is "everything Trump touches dies."  Add the USFL to that list.

 

Trump's early/mid-80s image of this young (at the time), maverick (and in some eyes, not mine) cool buyer of USFL's New Jersey Generals, which had recently signing marquis RB Herschel Walker, was what rocketed into the public consciousness... Boy, if I could hop in a time machine and go back in time ...

 

 

Don't forget the Tour de Trump. 

 

Wrong thread, but it was the biggest bicycling event in the United States up until that time.  Probably still the only one that got extended national TV coverage back when there were just 3 channels (30-minute shows on Saturday afternoons).  Now the Tour of California, Tour of Utah, etc., wallow in obscurity on Channel 183, or whatever. 

 

 

 

The NFL is a television program. People in the stadiums are a bonus that kind of help the atmosphere, like the live studio audience on sitcoms or game shows. Are ratings actually down? I know Trump said they were but he's not the most reliable source and I haven't fact-checked him.

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20814945/preliminary-tv-ratings-sunday-nfl-games-compared-last-year

 

It seems that CBS was up slightly and Fox and NBC were down.  Interesting note within the article that all sports and TV ratings in general are down but the real test is whether NFL ratings are down the same amount as other sports and TV or more.  Mark Cuban discusses the nuance in the numbers a bit. 

^ That is on the right track but the real question is how they are doing in terms of five years ago or ten years ago (not just one year ago) and how that compares to the decline of other forms of media. I would suspect that the NFL still garners more of a share of the American public than almost anything else that's out there.

What's really driving Trump in his NFL feud?

 

It's personal

Before Donald Trump was a politician or even a reality television star, he was a professional football owner. The league was the star-crossed USFL in the mid-1980s, and the team was the New Jersey Generals.

 

Then real-estate magnate Trump bought the team in 1984 and helped encourage the USFL, which was then playing its games in the spring, to move to the autumn, where it would go head-to-head with the NFL.

 

The NFL crushed the fledgling USFL. Mr Trump unsuccessfully tried to sue the larger league for antitrust violations, many teams went bankrupt, and the USFL eventually folded.

 

Fast forward to 2014, and Mr Trump had another run-in with the NFL, when he tried to buy the Buffalo Bills team. He was outbid by an energy-sector billionaire and - in a move that should now be quite familiar - took to Twitter to vent his anger.

 

"Even though I refused to pay a ridiculous price for the Buffalo Bills, I would have produced a winner," he tweeted. "Now that won't happen."

 

He also called NFL games "boring" and "too soft", adding that he was glad the deal didn't go through.

 

In other words, Mr Trump has a longstanding grudge against the NFL - and if there's one thing we know about the president, it's that he likes to settle old scores.

 

Full article below:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41392959

Week 3,

 

The declines were not as pronounced as in the previous week, when two telecasts declined by more than 20%. Nor was the lone increase as significant; last week’s late doubleheader game rose by 18%.

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2017/09/nfl-ratings-2017-week-three-overnights-cbs-nbc-fox/

http://abcnews.go.com/US/veterans-knee-support-national-anthem-protests/story?id=50075609

 

Remember that Kaepernick first took a knee in protest a year ago to "show more respect for military veterans."

"Worst owner in sports? Dean Spanos...."

 

FAA denies Dean Spanos’ request to stop banners from flying before Chargers games

 

SAN DIEGO -- The banners that have been flown over the StubHub Center the past two Sundays have angered Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos, but it looks like there's not a lot he can do about it.

 

Disgruntled Chargers fan Joseph MacRae bought a banner to fly over the stadium in Carson to send a message to Dean Spanos about how much San Diego fans detest the move to L.A.

 

Recently, Spanos tried to stop it by contacting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and requesting a temporary flight restriction (TFR) for game days.

 

However, the FAA only grants TFRs for stadiums and arenas that hold 30,000 or more, and since the StubHub Center capacity is under 30,000 -- the Chargers announced a sellout at 25,386 during their game with the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday -- the FAA will not grant the TFR.

 

http://fox5sandiego.com/2017/09/28/faa-denies-dean-spanos-request-to-stop-banners-from-flying-before-chargers-games/

 

 

^^lol that is awesome.  Get a bigger stadium Dean!